Chris Kroeze (left) poses with the other final two contestants on Blake Shelton's team, Dave Fenley (second from left) and Kirk Jay, after the Nov. 13, 2018 episode of "The Voice." Also pictured is their coach, country superstar Shelton. Trae Patton/NBC

Chris Kroeze dedicated his performance of the Beatles' "Let It Be" on "The Voice" Nov. 19 to his hometown of Barron, which has been reeling following the shooting deaths of James and Denise Closs and the disappearance of their daughter Jayme. Trae Patton/NBC

Kroeze poses with his coach Blake Shelton and fellow "Team Shelton" contestant Kirk Jay after the Dec. 11 episode of "The Voice," when both Jay and Kroeze learned they would be competing in the finals. Trae Patton/NBC

Chris Kroeze got to do an encore performance of season highlight "Long Train Runnin'" during "The Voice" finale Dec. 18, this time with the classic rock band behind the song, the Doobie Brothers. Tyler Golden/NBC

As one of this season's final 13 contestants, Kroeze will perform live for the second time of the season at 7 p.m. Monday.

And to think, he almost turned the show down.

"I was at a rehearsal when I got a call from L.A.," he said. "I ignored the call. I don't know anyone from L.A."

He did listen to the voicemail, and it turned out to be a producer from the show who invited him to audition.

"Right away, I was leaning more against not doing it," Kroeze said. "I do 200, 250 shows a year, and for me to clear out three months, that's a lot of shows. That's my bread and butter."

His wife convinced him to give it a shot, so this summer, he went off to Los Angeles to audition for show coaches and judges Shelton, Levine, Clarkson and Hudson.

Kroeze had never done anything like this before — and even after some solid TV experience, it's still nerve-wracking.

"Could you see my heart beating in my throat?" he joked about his "Voice" performances.

But Kroeze is no amateur. His dad played some guitar and taught Kroeze some chords when he was 6.

"I became obsessed," Kroeze said. "I would listen to a ton of music and played along with the radio."

Some of his early idols: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson. The influences continue to show in Kroeze's tender and smooth guitar playing, bluesy country style and sweetly gruff vocals.

When he was 14, he sang in public for the first time at a middle school talent show. After forming a band, he started playing in bars (with parental supervision).

Balancing music with odd jobs like concrete work, he became a full-time musician about seven years ago. Some of his bigger shows in the state have been opening gigs for Montgomery Gentry, Joe Nichols and Cedarburg-born country star Josh Thompson. And since 2016, he's done seven tours performing for American troops in the Middle East.

On "The Voice," both Shelton and Hudson tried to convince Kroeze to join their team following his soulful audition with Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride and Joy."

Kroeze opted for Shelton's team, advancing through the show's battle and knockout rounds. But he says being on the show "doesn't feel like a competition."

"It's been fun meeting other contestants, and I've absolutely made lifelong friends here," he said. "This is the biggest thing any one of us has ever done, and it feels like everyone is looking out for each other and helping out when they can."

In addition to getting help from Shelton — whom Kroeze calls "super nice and down to earth, on and off camera" — Kroeze's been coached by guest advisers Keith Urban and Mariah Carey.

"I've seen so much support from all levels," Kroeze said. "To have that come from high-profile people … is giving me more and more confidence."

There's been plenty of public validation, too. Kroeze is a fan favorite.

"I'm extremely thankful to have a core group of followers who have supported me for a long time, many years before I was on national TV, and they have stuck with me," Kroeze said. "They've been a huge help spreading the word about voting, putting signs up on Facebook and calling radio stations and news stations."

Whenever his run on "The Voice" ends, Kroeze said, he has "original music ready to go." And he's coming away from the experience a better artist.

"The biggest thing I've learned so far is making sure whatever song you're singing, that you dig deep and find the meaning," Kroeze said. "A song is a story, and that's one of the things I've been working on is becoming a better storyteller."

But no matter where his career takes him, Barron will continue to be home.